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Tikho’s Story

Clean Water & Community Action in Zambia

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Today I want to tell you the story of a girl who lives in a place that is far, far away from where you live. Her name is Tikho and she lives in the continent of Africa in a country called Zambia, and in a province called Ndola.

Tikho lives in a town called Chipulukusu, which means “cursed” in the local language. Why do you think it was called this?
Fortunately they changed the name to Mapalo, which means “blessed”. Why do you think they changed the name?

This is Tikho. She is a happy, healthy girl about the same age as you.

This is Tikho’s family: Tikho’s grandmother Felina, her mother Gladys, her sister Natasha, and brother Daniel.

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Let’s watch a video of Tikho’s showing us her home. While you are watching it, see if you can find anything in the home that uses water.

In their community, Tikho and her friends often make their toys with materials that are available to them. What do you think this ball is made from?

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Tikho likes to have fun like you. She wanted us to show you this video so you could meet her friends and see the games they play. Can you guess what game she’s playing with her friends?

Remember when Tikho showed you her home? Did you see a tap? Tikho doesn’t have running water in her home so she and her friends collect water from a well, which is a deep hole that reaches an underground lake known as an aquifer.

As you can see, members of the community put a bucket down the hole and pull the water up.
Can you imagine what it would be like to gather your water from a well everyday? How hard do you think it would be to carry a bucket full of water?

Learn about the Issues

Tikho’s community used to be called Chipulukusu, or “cursed” because people were getting sick because of waste in their environment. Let’s play a game where we can learn more about how the people in Tikho’s community were getting sick.

How did Daniel Get Sick?

This is Tikho’s younger brother, Daniel, and he is sick. There are three different ways that waste in his environment made him sick, can you and your friends figure out what they are?

CONGRATULATIONS!

Drag these cards to show what happened 1st, 2nd, and 3rd for each line.

Drag the cards on the bottom of the screen to the blank rectangles. Place them in order to show how the germs entered Daniel’s body to make him sick.

There are different routes, or ways, that Daniel got sick? Can you tell what they are?

Did you guess: Dirty hands? Flies on his food? And dirty water?
If you did, then great job! You figured out the ways that Daniel got sick...

But, can you figure out what it was on his hands, in the food and the water that made him sick?

Did you guess poop?
If so, you are right. It turns out that human waste and the waste of animals can have a significant impact on our health. Tiny microorganisms, that are also known as pathogens, made Daniel sick. Now, not all microorganisms make us sick, but pathogens, or germs, do. Pathogens are too small for us to see with our eyes, so it is hard to know when we have come in contact with them.

It is important to remember that Tikho’s community is not a small village. She lives in a very large community that is just outside of an even bigger city. Where Tikho lives is crowded, and it lacks a lot of the structures you would find in a big city.

Do you remember the video we watched of Tikho showing us her home? She didn’t have running water in her house. Most of the homes in Tikho’s community do not have running water, and many more don’t have toilets.

What if you don’t have a toilet at your home? In your school?

I want you to imagine for a minute that you don’t have even one toilet in your home. Imagine that you also don’t have a toilet at school. Where would you go to the bathroom? What would your options be?

What if no one in your community had a toilet?

Now imagine what it would be like if no one in your community had access to a toilet. What would be some of the issues you would face?

Did you know that more people in the world have access to a cell phone than a toilet? Not having access to a toilet is a very big issue for many boys and girls around the world.

Now, you are starting to really understand some of the issues that Tikho’s community and many communities around the world face. If you remember, Tikho’s community is now called Mapalo, which means “blessed”. Let’s learn what they did to make their community healthier.

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Here’s a video of Tikho’s friend collecting water from the well. The water they collect still has pathogens in it, but now they have a way to clean it in their homes. What do you think they will do with the water before they drink it?
Did you guess that they might filter their water? If so, you are right! Biosand filters have been installed in a number of houses in Tikho’s community. This filter removes 99% of pathogens that make people sick.

Solution #1: Filtering Water

Tikho’s mom Gladys taught her community about how to build and use biosand filters. Gladys works at Seeds of Hope, one of CAWST’s partner organizations. Gladys was trained by CAWST staff and now she teaches others.

How does the biosand filter remove pathogens?

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How do you think the biosand filter removes pathogens?
Let’s learn how the biosand filter works. Notice how the pathogens are removed to make the water safe to drink.

Solution #2: Installing Latrines

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Tikho’s community also installed outdoor toilets called latrines. The latrines keep the human waste in a safe place and prevent it from entering into the community well.

Washing Hands & Food

Tikho’s community also started using tippy tap so that they could wash their hands after going to the bathroom and before eating. They also learned how important it is to wash their food before eating.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Drag these cards to show how to prevent the germs from making Daniel sick.

Let’s take a look at the game again. Do you remember the different ways that Daniel got sick? Now let’s think about some solutions that could keep him healthy!

?

Great! Handwashing, washing food, protecting food from flies, and filtering dirty water are all amazing solutions that will help Daniel and the rest of his village stay healthy. There is one solution for Tikho’s community that is missing. Do you know what it is?

That’s right – toilet’s or latrines! Containing human waste is a very important way that Tikho and Daniel’s community were able to improve the health of all of their members.

In North America we also need think about our water source and how to protect our health.

One of our most challenging issues is overconsumption. We use too much water! Look at the difference between how much water someone in Tikho’s village may use and how much we use. What are some of the ways that you use water on a regular day?

Hover over or tap each image for more information

The truth is that most North Americans really take for granted how plentiful clean water is in their communities. If you live in a large city, you will have a large treatment plant that will purify your water but human and animal waste can still have an impact. Let’s take a look at the following examples of people in North America. Do you think they are doing a good job at protecting themselves, and their water sources, from pathogens? Do you think they are doing a good job conserving water?

Now you’ve learned about the work that Tikho’s community did to transform their home Chipulukusu (cursed) into Mapalo (Blessed).
So, the question is, what are you doing to address waste in your community? What can you learn from Tikho and her community that can help you take action here?

Do you want to learn more? Visit CAWST at cawst.org/wavemakers and learn more about how you can make a difference in your community and in communities around the world.